


Love Guru

by lioness44



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Canon Compliant, Developing Relationship, Humor, M/M, atlas is mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-07
Updated: 2019-02-07
Packaged: 2019-10-23 22:50:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17692613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lioness44/pseuds/lioness44
Summary: Shiro imagines himself writing to a relationship advice column.





	Love Guru

**Author's Note:**

> I think this could technically be a stand-alone, but for anyone jumping in late, it's part of the series that goes in this order: Worth Waiting For, Always Comes Back to You, The Only Thing You Need to Know.

**Chapter 8**

**Love Guru**

 

_Dear Love Guru,_

_I recently started dating a great guy. We’ve known each other for a long time, but when it comes to romance, we’ve been taking things slow. He assures me that there’s no need to discuss all of our past issues immediately and it’s okay to pace them out. But I can’t help wondering … when might it be appropriate to mention that I died and spent a year as pure consciousness trapped within a mechanical lion?_

_Is this something that I should bring up now, or should I wait until we’ve had a few more dates?_

_Thanks in advance._

_Sincerely,_

_Shironymous_

 

#             #             #

 

_Dear Shironymous,_

_Thank you for your letter. Death is definitely a heavy subject and therefore, it might not be the best choice of conversation for the early stages of a relationship. At the start of a union, couples need to learn more about who their partner is on a basic level. Aim for lighter, more frivolous topics, such as favorite color, favorite foods, or preferred musical choices. Perhaps you could share some childhood memories that your partner might relate to. Do either of you have any pets?_

_Remember, it’s okay to lighten up and have fun as you’re getting to know one another. I suggest going out for ice cream._

_Good luck,_

_Love Guru_

 

#             #             #

 

_Dear Love Guru,_

_Thanks for your excellent advice. We went out for ice cream last night and had a great time._

_I have another question that I’m hoping you can help me with. At what point should I mention the possibility that evil clones of me might exist somewhere else in the universe? I’m fairly sure they were all destroyed -- a friend says the cloning facility was decimated -- but it is possible that one or two of my doppelgangers may have escaped. There’s also a slim possibility that clones of me were sent out on missions prior to the deceased clone whose body I currently inhabit._

_While I don’t want to overwhelm my partner with potentially terrifying information, I would also feel very bad if he were attacked without warning._

_Help!_

_Sincerely,_

_Shironymous_

 

#             #             #

 

_Dear Shironymous,_

_Wow. You certainly have led an eventful life. I hope you’re getting therapy._

_As for your relationship question, this issue is slightly more complex than your earlier inquiry about death. While I usually don’t recommend overwhelming your partner when you’re just starting out as a couple, in this case, due to the potential risks to his person, you should be honest from the start._

_Since this would be a challenging conversation for even the bravest of beings, try to ease him into the topic by setting the mood. Make sure the two of you have a private place to talk and plenty of time for discussion. Also, you should be prepared that this might be a deal-breaker for him. If it is, don’t take it personally. Just because your partner does not wish to risk his safety by opening himself up to future evil clone attacks doesn’t mean that he’s not into you as a person._

_I wish you – and him – the best of luck._

_Love Guru_

 

#             #             #

 

_Dear Love Guru,_

_You’ve been incredibly helpful. I followed your advice and the conversation went surprisingly well. There was one sketchy moment when my partner choked on a bite of the chicken we were eating, but fortunately, I’m trained in first aid, so I was able to perform the Heimlich maneuver. No harm done, but should any future readers ask a similar question, a good piece of advice would be not to have this discussion over a meal._

_Anyway, I hope you don’t mind another question. In the past week, my partner has expressed a desire to sleep in the same bed at night. We’ve agreed to hold off on penetrative sex, but he does not think it’s too early to enjoy each other’s platonic company in this manner._

_Although I trust him implicitly, my concern is once again for his well-being. A few years ago, I was held captive and forced to fight as a gladiator. (I should probably mention that I was equipped with a potentially deadly mechanical arm). Although I only recall a few scattered memories from my time in captivity, I occasionally find myself falling into the unconscious habit of cataloging the number of ways I could kill someone._

_My concern is that at night, without the control of my conscious brain, I might use this knowledge to snap my partner’s neck without meaning to. If I were to harm him in any way, I’d never forgive myself._

_Eventually, I know that sleeping in the same bed is a necessary step towards intimacy, but should we wait?_

_Thanks again for your wisdom._

_Shironymous_

 

#             #             #

 

_Dear Shironymous,_

_I really must insist that you start therapy. Immediately. This is a matter of the utmost importance for both you and your partner. Any relationship in which involuntary manslaughter is a concern needs to be seriously evaluated._

_Do not sleep in the same bed if there is even the tiniest possibility that you might perform any harmful actions!_

_Does your partner know that this is the reason for your hesitation? An honest, serious discussion is a necessity, and if he still presses for the two of you to sleep in the same bed, then I have to believe that he is also in need of therapy._

_Please write back to reassure me that the two of you will invest quality time with a highly trained psychiatrist._

_Love Guru_

 

#             #             #

 

_Dear Love Guru,_

_You’ve been very patient. Thank you. I have been meeting with a therapist, but unfortunately they were assigned to me by my employer and seem to have ulterior motives. I’m very open to couple’s counseling, but I’m about to leave for a cosmic battle and will most likely not return to Earth for years to come. (My partner is under my command and we have elected to keep our relationship secret. But I swear, I would never abuse my position to manipulate him in any way!) Sadly, my ship is not equipped with a couple’s counselor, although now it occurs to me that this is probably an unfortunate oversight._

_This brings me to another concern. I am mentally linked to the spaceship we will be traveling on. She is very young and quite different from the robotic lion I mentioned in my first letter. Because she is more talkative and inquisitive, I almost consider her a third party in my relationship. However, my partner is not linked to her, so I’m unsure how to manage this dynamic._

_Should I try to include the spaceship more often so she becomes more real to my partner, or would it be better not to mention her and to let our relationship progress as a more natural two-person romance?_

_Thanks again,_

_Shironymous_

 

#             #             #

 

_Dear Shironymous,_

_I must ask that you stop writing to me. There is nothing about your relationship that can be considered normal or healthy. In fact, if this were not an anonymous advice column, I would track down your partner and urge him to run in the opposite direction as fast as possible._

_Please make your mental health a top priority. I beg of you._

_With finality,_

_Love Guru_

 

_##################################################_

 

 

Shiro stared out the window of his Garrison quarters, one hand propping up his chin. He sighed loudly, and a low chuckle sounded behind him.

“Hey Takashi,” Curtis slid up behind him and kissed his neck in the soft spot just below his ear. “What are you thinking about? You’ve been staring into space for a long time now and you’re frowning so hard you’re going to hurt yourself if you don’t stop.”

Shiro cringed. He turned to face the man who was quickly becoming a fixture in his life. The man he already loved even though he’d never admit that to anyone else since they’d say it was too fast.

“Spit it out,” Curtis said. “I can tell when you’re obsessing.”

Shiro nodded. “Okay. So … uh … do you really think we can have a normal, healthy relationship? I feel like I’m asking too much of you.”

Curtis laughed. “This again, huh?” At Shiro’s guilty look, he shook his head. “It’s fine. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. We can have this conversation as often as we need to.”

“I just think that --”

“I know what you think. And to answer your question, no. We can not have a _normal_ relationship. There is nothing about us that’s normal and there never will be. Healthy, though … that’s a different matter. Who gets to define healthy? A therapist? Some sort of expert in the field of love and relationships? Other people?”

Shiro shrugged. “Maybe?”

“No.” Curtis scoffed. “Screw that. _We_ do. We get to define what makes our relationship healthy, and what I know is that I’m a happier, better person with you in my life. No question.” He paused, fixing Shiro with a steady gaze. “Can you say the same thing?”

Shiro nodded. “Definitely. A hundred times over.”

Curtis kissed him. “Then we’re good and the rest will work itself out.”

Shiro reached out with his human hand to take Curtis’s hand in his own. “Listen, you should know that I’m kind of in love with you. I realize it’s too early in the relationship to say it, and most people would tell me that it’s too soon even to think it, but I know what I know. I love you.”

“People?” Curtis inquired. “What people?”

Shiro laughed. “I don’t know. The people we’re always referring to when we say ‘people’.”

“Yeah, well, it’s not about them. They don’t even know us. Our relationship is about _us_ , Takashi. No one else’s opinion matters. And you need to know that I love you, too. Always have and always will.”

 

#################################################

 

_Dear Love Guru,_

_You said not to write to you again, and I promise this will be my last letter._

_I want you to know that my partner and I have only been dating for two weeks, but I told him I love him and he said it back._

_I get why you probably think I jumped the gun, but I care about him more than words could say. I’ve decided to stop worrying about sleeping in the same bed because I’ve realized that I could never hurt him, on any level. Not even a subconscious one. I love him and trust him, and those feelings go deeper than all else._

_This man – my partner – is everything I find worthy and admirable in humankind. He keeps me sane. As long as we’re together, I’m going to protect him, make him smile, take care of him when he’s sick, laugh with him, cry with him, and someday I intend to marry him._

_I no longer care what anyone else has to say about that._

_Fuck you,_

_Takashi Shirogane_


End file.
